


Overgrown Weeds and Busted Cameras

by flower_baby



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Art Major! John, BAMF Angelica, F/F, F/M, Fashion Major! Herc, Female Reader, Flower child reader, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Peggy, George Washington is a Dad, Language of Flowers, Law Major!Alex, M/M, Multi, Photography Major!Laf, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Polyamory, Reader-Insert, Slow Build, alex is a jealous smol, alex is also an angry smol, burr's a dick for the first few chappies, but he just cares for reader, but the schuylers are here too :D, herc is just trying to be a good boyfriend, im not good at writing, like extremely slow build, more characters will be added, protecc them pls, reader is a hurt and emotional bby, reader is a scared smol, supportive best friend peggy, the schuylers will beat the boys' asses if they hurt reader, this will mostly focus on the boys and reader, ultra mom eliza
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-07-14 03:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16031969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flower_baby/pseuds/flower_baby
Summary: Y/N hates plants. They always seem to be the source of all her problems. But she's had to live with them all her life. They follow her everywhere and she loathes it. And try as she might, she can't get rid of them. So she let them be. Until her family calls her demon spawn and leaves her out on the middle of the road at the age of 7. She was put into foster care and didn't tell anyone about her 'specialness'. She spent the rest of her life keeping to herself, especially when she was finally adopted, which backfired like most things in her life did.She goes to college figuring she would just keep to herself and not waste other people's time with her existence. But like everything in her life, it blows up in her face when she meets a frenchman and his 3 partners.





	1. C.1 John hates TAing

**Author's Note:**

> im shit at writing dont @me
> 
> reader's POV wont be for a few chappies and you're most likely gonna hate burr for a lil bit :// (sorry not sorry)  
> this is my first hamilton fic, so if its trash,,,im sorry
> 
> i take french but im not fluent so if i made a mistake (there's literally one french phrase that could be wrong) please let me know

 

  “ALEXANDER HAMILTON,” John yelled into his dorm. As soon as said boy came out of his room, looking a mess as he always does, John jumped him. “Alex, what the actual _fuck_ did you do the goddamn shower?!” John screeched, continuously glaring at the smaller boy. “It’s called _‘washing your hair’_ , John. You should try it sometime,” Alex retorted, sarcasm thick is his tone. John only rolled his eyes at his boyfriend’s response, running a hand through his hair.

   Normally, he wouldn’t be so stressed about the shower but he had to TA a Photography class. He hated being a TA, but Lafayette, the actual TA for the class, was out of town– or country if you will– visiting family, and what kind of boyfriend would John be if he turned Laf down. “What’s the big deal anyways,” Alex pointed out, “You could just clean out the shower and get on with your day.” “The one time you wash your hair just _had_ to be the same time when I have somewhere to be,” John muttered, looking at the clock on the microwave. _‘4:46’_ , it read. _‘I only have 20 minutes to get ready. Fucking amazing.’_

_^-^-^-^_

   John manage to get to the Photography classroom, but he was 10 minutes late and the class had already started. So he tried and failed to sneak into the classroom, the entire class staring at him as he made his way over to the professor’s desk, awkwardly standing next to it.

   All the professor did was eye him before he continued on with his lesson. “Your subject is important,” he stated, camera in his hand. “The way you choose to capture it can dramatically change your photo, your entire project even.” He walked over to the white sheet that was pinned into the wall, asking for a volunteer from the class. Most people mumbled to others, some ignoring the lesson altogether. This went on for a few seconds before a hand was raised among the mass of students. “Ah, Mr. Forester! Yes, please come up to the front,” the professor called to the student.

 

   The rest of class was a complete blur. John didn’t pay attention to the lesson, only listening when the professor needed him to do something. When he was packing up his things, the professor pulled him and another student aside. “John, can you help Ms. L/N grade these last few projects? There’s only about 10 left, so you both should be finished in an hour or so,” he said. John looked at the student from the side of his eye, “Yeah sure. Does she know how you grade assignments or do I have to–,” “Oh, no. She’s helped Gilbert grade somethings before so she knows what to do,” the professor interrupts as he smiled at John.

   John inwardly cringed at the use of Laf’s first name. He knew it was apart of his name but hearing it from someone who isn’t Lafayette, sounded really gross.

   John just nodded to the professor as he leaves. Just as he was about to greet the girl, he sees that she was missing from where she originally stood. His head then whipped around at the sound of the desk’s drawer opening, finding the aforementioned girl sitting at it. She took out the 10 projects they had to grade and separated them into two groups. ‘How did she get over there so fast?’ She just looked at John expectantly, eyebrows raised slightly at him.

 

   The next 36 minutes went by slowly. Neither John nor the girl spoke to each other, the second hand of the clock ticking away the only sound was heard. John was in the middle of grading a project when he felt a small tug on the side of his shirt. He turned to the girl, being met with a portfolio. “Give me one of yours,” she said softly, arm outstretched toward him. John only looked at her confused, prompting her to explain. “This one is mine. I don’t grade my own work,” her arm never wavered from his face. John just took her portfolio and grabbed one from his pile, handing it to her.

 

   He finished the one he was grading and moved onto hers. _‘Y/N L/N’_ it read in the corner of the grey book. The name sounded familiar to him but he couldn’t pinpoint why. Shrugging it off, he opened the portfolio. He was immediately met with an array of colors when he opened it. As he continued to turn through the book, he couldn’t help but be mesmerized. Flowers and different kinds of plants decorated every photo, each subject a different kind of flower or plant. There were photos of them on a person, growing on column, wrapping around a railing, and just growing in the wild. Her most recent work was probably his favorite. The plant theme remained a constant, but the way the photos were taken made them look like they were growing on her.

 

   “Hey,” he quietly spoke up, grabbing the attention of the girl, “How’d you do this?” he asked. “Do what?” the girl asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “This,” John leaned over to the girl, the portfolio in hand, pointing out the photo he was talking about. “This one. The way you took the picture made it look like the flower was growing on your arm,” he said, still staring at the project in amazement. “Oh, uh… just a lot of makeup and fake flowers y’know,” she practically whispered.

 

   The picture he was most transfixed on, was a picture of her, but she was crying and in her H/C hair, grew purple hyacinths.The flowers were entwined in her hair, leaves and violet petals decorating her tresses. The stems looked as if they were growing from her roots, the green shoots disappearing in her mass of follicles, some dancing around individual strands.

 

   “Where’d you get the flowers,” John prompted, “Because they look very realistic for them to just be fake flowers.” And he was right about that. The features of each flower looked very accurate to the real thing. From the stem and the shape of each petal, all the way down to the small, dark purple veins on each petal. It was almost scary if you thought about it too much. “Marshalls,” she answered quickly. A bit too quickly. John just looked at her skeptically and continued on with grading her work.

 

   The last 20 minutes zoomed by and Herc came over to pick John up. As John moved to pack up his stuff, he heard Hercules gasp quietly. He turned and saw him walking over to Y/N, a bright look on his face. “Hey you’re Y/N right?” he asked, looking down at the shorter girl. “Uh, yeah… who told you…?” she said, confusion dawning her face. “Oh! Uh sorry. That sounded really creepy… I’m Hercules and, um, my boyfriend, Lafayette, he normally TAs this class and he’s told me– us– a lot about you,” he stated, gesturing to John and himself to emphasize his point.

   Ah yes, now he remembers. Y/N L/N was the girl Laf had been gushing over almost all semester when he first started TAing. He’d go on and on about how beautiful and talented she was. How her work always felt alive and moving, despite it only capturing a second of that specific moment. The first few months he TAed the photography class, he didn’t know her name but he was able to recognize her work in an instant. So he always referred to her as ‘Mon fleur’ or ‘Mon magnolia rose’, the last one meaning pink magnolia. When he finally found out her name, he literally swooned, claiming ‘Her name fits her so well,’ and ‘Her name is just as beautiful as her.’

   John and Herc found Laf’s clear adoration and affection for this mystery girl adorable, but Alex on the other hand, didn’t seem that fond of Laf’s feelings toward the girl. He made that very clear whenever he rolled his eyes when Laf would come back to the apartment, another eulogy about his _'pink magnolia’_ at the ready.

  Y/N’s eyes lit up slightly at the mention of Laf. “O-oh, yeah. We, uhm, we talked to each other a bit when Mr. Stilo ask us to grade stuff…,” she trailed off, looking past Hercules and John, towards the window just in front of the door in the hallway. Her eyes squinted and then slightly widened in fear for a second before she turned back to Herc, a small nervous smile on her face. John turned to her previous line of sight, looking out the window, only being met with pink magnolias and lilacs on a bush across the campus yard. Which seemed normal enough…so what could she have been scared about?

  “What is there to talk about me though, I’m really plain in all honesty,” Y/N’s voice pulled John out of his thoughts. Herc only laughed at the younger girl’s statement while John chuckled quietly. “I think if you said that to him, Laf would’ve listed all the reason why that’s not true,” John said, Herc humming in agreement. Y/N only quietly chuckled sardonically. “That’s flattering, really, but I’m sure he’d have better things to do than lie to me in my face,” she said bluntly. Both John and Herc were taken aback, not expecting such a blunt and sad answer from a girl who looked like she was quiet and reserved most of the time. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow…,” she trailed off, prompting John to give her his name. “John,” he says softly, still caught off guard by her previous response. “John and Hercules,” she said, and with that she walked away, leaving nothing but two awestrickend boys in that classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pink Magnolias- shyness; timidness
> 
> Purple Hyacinths- sorrow
> 
> Lilacs- affection


	2. C.2 Yellow Roses are Jealous and Alex is Scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John continues to TA and tries to talk to Y/N. Only one of those things are a success.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im gonna try and get chapter 3 up later today

 “Alex! Alex, are you home?!” John and Herc came bursting through their shared apartment, looking for their boyfriend. Alexander’s head shot up from where he laid on the couch, his computer in his lap and the theme of ‘Stranger Things’ blaring in the background. “What? What is it?” he asked his partners, worry crossing his features. “We met her!” Herc panted, having ran all the way to the apartment from the parking deck. “You met who?” Alex’s previous worry turning into confusion. “Laf’s flower. His ‘pink magnolia’.” John breathed, moving to sit next to Alex on the couch. 

 

  Alex’s face dropped immediately. The one thing he didn’t want to happen, happened. This girl, had single handedly managed to grab the attention of all his date mates, without even realizing it. She was a menace in Alex’s eyes and he despised her for just being there. He worked hard to get what he has now, he wasn’t going to let some random girl take that from him.

 

 The rest of the night was spent with Herc and John talking about Y/N and Alex ignoring them both, his mood sour the entire time. At one point, they called Laf to tell him and he practically screamed through the phone, which then prompted a four hour long conversation, the subject being still Y/N. Alex turned in early because if he heard another  _ ‘Mon magnolia rose is so amazing’  _ or  _ ‘Isn’t mon fleur so bright and cute’,  _  he was going to punch a wall.

 

_ ^-^-^-^ _

 

  It had been 3 days since John had officially met Y/N and he was already incredibly fascinated by the girl. She was a freshman, he found out from the attendance book that Mr. Stilo kept on his desk and she was quiet and didn’t speak unless spoken to. So he tried to talk to her over that course of time but she always managed to disappear after class. One time, John managed to pack up before her– which was honestly an accomplishment because she would have basically her entire bag emptied out on the table and still be able to pack up in 1.3 seconds–, so he waited outside the classroom for her. When she didn’t come, he walked back in, only to be met with a spinning swivel chair and an open window.

 

 As difficult it was to try and catch her, John didn’t give up. He’s already heard so much from Laf, but he felt compelled to know more about her. He also felt a small tug that was pulling him toward her. He didn’t know why but something told him that she’s been through a lot of something, that something being a bad something, and he felt obligated to try and help.

 

  It was a good week into him TAing for Laf, when he finally got to talk to her again, and it wasn’t even in class. John was in Barnes and Noble with Alex, looking for a book about flowers– which was now ironic seeing as the girl he’s been persistently trying to talk to, takes photos of them. He needed a flower book for his Advanced Painting class, the subject being a type of plant. The point of the project was to see how creative he and his classmates could get with their plant of choice. Whether they chose the easy way out, a classic still life, or something more daring, like a surrealistic version of the plant. 

 

 As he and his boyfriend were looking through the selections of botany books the book store had to offer, John caught a glimpse of H/C hair walking around the corner of the small intersection between two other bookcases. A stream of nervousness and excitement started coursing through his veins as he followed that tuft of hair he saw. Surely enough he was face to face with the mystery girl herself, Y/N L/N. She was browsing through books, not even noticing John was there, and John just stared, unintentionally looking like a creep. As she turned to leave that aisle, she finds John, meeting eyes with him and John internally melted. Her eyes were a beautiful E/C color with small greenish-grey flecks in them. They sparkled with surprise and joy and something unrecognizable when they landed on John.

 

  “Hey,” he breathed slightly, looking over at her. She was wearing a candy pink sweatshirt that looked way too big on her, and some black leggings and candy pink vans.[ Huge, round, black and gold glasses](https://www.amazon.com/Amomoma-Womens-Fashion-Glasses-AM5001/dp/B01JOCML7E/ref=pd_ybh_a_29?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=HHCEJX6YWCVNS81BM227&th=1)  rested upon her nose, making her face looking even more petite than it usually did, her bangs from her messy bun framing her face. She looked like a pastel aesthetic shop just threw up on her and she just made it work.

 

 “Hi,” she said back, looking at John with that same small nervous smile she gave Hercules back when they first met. She looked past John and her smile grew a small bit as she looked  behind him. “Y/N!” someone behind John exclaimed. John turned around and was met with a short person, about the same height as Y/N, with short, dark brown, curly hair, that framed around their face, just barely scraping their shoulders. They wore a dark marigold t-shirt with a black cardigan over the shirt, grey skinny jeans dawning their legs and black converse covering their feet.

 

 “‘Sup dude,” they said, walking over to Y/N and hugging her. “Who’s your friend?” they asked her, their arm resting comfortably on her shoulders. “Oh! This is John. He’s subbing for my TA in my photography class,” she stated softly, her voice like a gentle caress to John’s ears. Y/N’s friend nods and stretches out their hand, “Nice to meet you. I’m Peggy, they/them pronouns please.” John shakes their hand, a smile on his face, humming in response. Peggy then turned to Y/N, whispering something in her ear and said girl’s cheeks turned a light pink, her eyes widening slightly, a small ‘yes’ escaping her lips. Her eyebrows bunched up in concentration, as if she was thinking about something. Just then she became pale, making a dash for the exit of the book store. “I gotta go! I’ll see you both later,” she exclaimed, rushing out of the door.

 

 “Does she always leave like that,” John mumbled, exasperated that it takes so much energy to try and get Y/N to say a single syllable to him. “For as long as I’ve known her, yes,” Peggy sighed. Just as Peggy was going to walk away, Alex comes around the corner. “John, I found a book that– oh,” stopping mid sentence as his sight landed on Peggy. “Who’s this?” he asked, sending a gentle smile at Peggy. “I’m Peggy. I’m Y/N’s friend and roommate,” Peggy answered, returning Alex’s smile. Alex’s smile faltered slightly at the mention of Y/N, his eyes hardening at the thought of the girl. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Alexander, John’s  _ boyfriend _ ,” he emphasized his point by wrapping his hand in John’s, they’re fingers tangling with each other. “Oh,” Peggy said awkwardly, shifting their weight on their feet, looking everywhere besides the couple in front of them. John noticed the sudden awkwardness and glanced at Alex suspiciously.“I’ll, uh, I’ll leave you both to it then. Um, I have to meet with my sister soon anyways so…yeah,” Peggy drawled out, swiftly leaving John and Alex to themselves. 

 

 John gently pulled his fingers free from Alex’s, turning to said boy, a skeptical look on his face. “Alex, what was that?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What was what, John,” Alex responds, looking away from his boyfriend and at the bookshelf filled with books on plant life. “The, ‘ _ John’s boyfriend _ ’? I don’t mind it, but the way you said it was like you were trying to get a point across.” John looked at Alex, suspicion and skepticism written on his face. “It was nothing, okay. Peggy just gave me…weird vibes alright,” Alex sighed, wanting the subject to change. “So I found a book that might help you with your art project,” Alex said, smiling at his lover as he grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the aisle where he found the book. They both silently decided to let the topic drop, but for different reasons.

 

  John just let what happened go because he knew Alex could get possessive at times.

 

  Alex let what happened go, because as much as he loved the boys, he would never admit that he was scared and jealous of some faceless girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: i feel like this needed to be said (probably not but still) 
> 
> y/n's only "friend" is peggy but theyre not that close and peggy doesnt know a lot about y/n. peggy does try to get y/n to open up but y/n tends to remain closed off from others(which will be expressed in the next chapter).
> 
> that's all i had lol 
> 
> and ill try to get chapter 3 up tomorrow or sunday
> 
>  
> 
> Yellow Roses- jealousy; infidelity


	3. C.3 Chrysanthemums and Stupid Shopping Trips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peggy invites Y/N to go shopping with their sisters and Y/N actually enjoys it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowie sorry for the wait, lots of stuff with school or whatevers :/
> 
> and this chapter took a while to write since its longer and i had writers block at some point while writing it

  Peggy was on their way back to their shared dorm with Y/N, on their way to talk to her. They knew the girl wasn’t the type to wander around aimlessly and definitely wouldn’t talk to people willingly. They were worried about her, had been since she first moved in. Y/N was always nervous and quiet, never speaking to anyone out of her own volition and when she did speak, it was soft and mumbly, mostly one to two worded answers like ‘yes’, ‘no’, and ‘I’m fine’. At first, Peggy just figured she was nervous because she was new and just confused on how things worked, like they were on the first day, so they thought Y/N would break out of her shell about a week into the school year. But when it became a reoccurring thing, they began to become concerned. 

 

 Y/N spent most of her time in her room. Doing what, Peggy had no idea. What they do know is that, occasionally, they would hear small mumbles of phrases and words coming from her door. They didn’t know who she was talking to, but they knew it was something. 

 

 Peggy opened the door to their shared dormitory, entering quietly. “Y/N!” they called, being met with silence. “Y/N!” they yelled again, still getting no response. They slowly walked further into the dorm, sliding their cardigan off and placing it on the back of the couch. They then heard a muffled voice coming from Y/N’s room. It sounded upset, like it was torn between two things and couldn’t make up its mind. Peggy approached the door, softly knocking on it. “Y/N, are you in there?” they called. In response, Peggy heard a small ‘mhmm’ from behind the door. “Can I come in?” they asked, waiting for an answer. A tiny muffled curse flew from behind the door, followed by the loud sounds of scrambling. After about a minute, the door opened, a frazzled and nervous looking Y/N greeting Peggy, her glasses gone from her face. Y/N gave Peggy a small grin, to which Peggy returned with a smile of their own, moving out of the way so her roommate could slip inside.

 

 Peggy then got situated on Y/N’s bed, looking towards the girl who continued to stand, her gaze on her feet. “You okay?” they asked, voice soft as their eyebrows remained furrowed. “Yeah.” Y/N sighed. “I’m fine.” she tried to sound confident but Peggy could hear the slight strain in her voice. “You sure? You just left so abruptly, I figured something was wrong.” Peggy pressed. “It’s nothing. I promise. I’m okay.” Y/N stated, voice sounding as firm as it could. 

 

 Peggy just looked at the girl, knowing something was wrong and that she definitely was  _ not  _ okay, and brushed off the subject, thinking they could just talk to her about it later. “Alright. My sisters and I are going shopping in 20 minutes. Do you wanna come?” they asked, looking to the girl with bright eyes. Y/N’s eyes grew a distant, focused look, like she was weighing her options. “Sure, I guess. I need to get photos for my mini project anyways.” she said, turning to her desk for her camera and glasses. “Yay!” Peggy squealed, jumping from the bed and hugging the slightly smaller girl. Y/N tensed at Peggy’s touch, a horrified look on her face. Peggy took notice of the girl’s sudden tension and removed their arms from her. “Sorry. I just got excited, y’know! We don’t really hangout, and I don’t to have the cliche ‘roommates that hate each other’ relationship with you.” Y/N doesn’t respond, remaining faced away from Peggy. A moment later she gives a small ‘sorry’. Peggy sighed and told her to come out to the living room when she’s ready. 

  
  


_ ^-^-^-^ _

 

  Y/N liked Peggy. She thought they were fun and amusing to be around. And she was honored that they even bothered to talk to her, even more so when they considered her a friend.

 

_ Knowing she didn’t deserve it. _

 

 She continued to get ready for the mall trip with the Schuylers.  _ The Schuylers _ . Y/N had already met the other Schuylers. Peggy had invited them over to their dorm after the first month of school. Though, she never spoke to them directly– or indirectly for that matter– she could tell they were good people.

 

_ People she shouldn’t get involved with. _

 

_ People she  _ couldn’t  _ get involved with. _

 

 If she wasn’t the way she was, she would’ve talked to them. But she was the way she was and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.  _ And she hated herself for it.  _

 

 Petunias and Orange Lilies started to wrap around her arms and pop out of empty coffee mugs that were scattered around the room, adding dark purples and bright oranges to the already colorful room. 

 

_  “Stop it,”  _ the petunias said.

_  “Let us help,”  _ the orange lilies chorused.

 

_  “We don’t want you to be in pain,”  _ all the flora in her room stated.

 

_  She hates it. She wants them to go away. She wants them to stop. _

 

__ But they can’t. So they try to help. And she lets them.

 

_ ^-^-^-^ _

 

“Peggy!” Angelica called towards her sibling, a smile dawning her face at the sight of them. She nudged Eliza, the younger turning and looking in the same direction as her sister.

 

 “Hey guys,” Peggy greeted they’re sisters, grinning at them. They looked back at Y/N who lingered behind them, motioning her to come closer. Said girl slowly shuffled over, feet scraping the floor slightly, camera in hand and glasses sitting on her face. 

 

  “You guys remember Y/N, right?” Peggy asked they’re sisters, looking to them with bright eyes. Angelica looked at Y/N with narrowed eyes, curls gently falling over her shoulder slightly as she narrowed her dark brown eyes at the shorter girl. Her eyes widened in realization then brightened, happy to see the younger girl again.

 

 “Yeah, I remember. She had the weirdly, aesthetically pleasing room. With all the flowers.” Angie hummed. Eliza nodded eagerly at the memory of when Peggy gave them a mini tour of their shared dorm. She then walks up to Y/N and smiled at her, hand stretched out to be shook. “It’s nice to see you again,” she grinned, eyes bright with joy. Y/N flinched slightly at the sudden motion, her E/C orbs flashing a range of emotions, the most prominent being fear. Eliza’s smile faltered the tiniest bit as her brown irises caught the motion, but her hand remained stretched out toward the girl. 

 

 Y/N then smiled the smallest of smiles, eyes nervous as she replies “Likewise,” tone soft and quiet. Eliza returned the smile, while Angelica started talking with Peggy, the smaller person talking animatedly about their week. 

 

_ ^-^-^-^ _

 

 “The bitch didn’t even  _ look  _ at the assignment! She walked up to me was like ‘If you could do my part for me, I would really appreciate it.’” Peggy spoke, rolling their eyes towards the end. 

 

 The group were currently in ‘Forever 21’, the Schuylers looking at and trying on clothes, while Y/N walked around aimlessly. 

 

Angelica laughed wholeheartedly at Peggy’s story, the sound bursting throughout the mostly empty store. “What’d you say?” Eliza asked, a chuckle escaping her lips at her sibling’s exasperated face. “I said, ‘I’m not doing your shit  _ for you _ . This is a  _ group  _ project, meaning that  _ more than one person  _ needs to contribute to the assignment.’ And, I kid you not, she said ‘Well I’ll just tell the teacher that you refused to do  _ my work for me _ .’” Peggy deadpanned. All of them bursted out laughing at the unnamed girl’s, extremely dumb, statement, a few tears escaping their eyes. Y/N’s head snapped over to them at the sudden sound, eyes confused and curious as to what could’ve caused such a reaction. 

 

“Did,” Angelica gasped, “Did you ever finish the project?” she managed to ask in between giggles. Peggy wiped at their eyes, taking deep breaths to compensate for the sudden lack of oxygen in their lungs. “Yeah. I got the professor to give me a new partner, and she ended up failing that assignment.” They stated, voice slightly breathy from the previous episode. Eliza hummed in response, looking through the clothing rack for some more clothes. 

 

 Her eyes caught on Y/N, who was across the store, still meandering around the store, stopping to look at certain clothes for a little while, then starting to wander again.

 

 Eliza’s eyes saddened slightly at the fact that her and her siblings had sort of ignored the younger girl, her heart aching to make it up to her.

 

 So she walked over to Y/N, eyes filled with determination to make the shorter girl happier.

 

  “Y/N,” she called, said girl looking up at the sound of her name being yelled out. As she saw Eliza striding toward her quickly, her body trembled a small bit in anxiety and fear. “What’re you doing,” Eliza asked once she finally made it over to the other girl, Y/N’s shoulders visibly relaxing. “Oh, uh, just… walking around… looking at stuff.” Y/N concluded lamely, eyes downcasting to her feet.

 

   “Well what were you looking at,” Eliza turned to look at  [ a golden yellow hoodie, ‘HONEY’ printed on the front in red ](https://us.romwe.com/Letter-Print-Striped-Hoodie-p-363301-cat-673.html) . It looked like it would be oversized on the small girl, but cute nonetheless.  “This would look cute on you.” Eliza voiced, turning to Y/N, who’s eye were wide with surprise. “Really?” she questions, looking to Eliza with skeptical eyes, like she was being lulled into a trap. “Yes really! You seem to like oversized sweaters and things like that, and you make them work too.” Eliza hummed out, looking around the store in thought. She then turned back to Y/N, eyes wide with astonishment at a sudden idea. “You should wear this with thigh high socks!” she exclaimed, a large grin dawning her features. Y/N only looked at her confused before she was being pulled by the older girl to the sock section in the store. 

  
  


  The two found two different pairs of thigh high socks that would go with the hoodie. The first pair were  [ black with white stripes at the top towards the rim of the sock ](https://us.romwe.com/Striped-Over-The-Knee-Socks-2pairs-p-254929-cat-756.html?recommend=Customers_Also_Viewed) . The second pair were  [ plain light grey knitted socks ](https://www.amazon.com/STYLEGAGA-Winter-Slouch-Over-Socks/dp/B00P5YUTGG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1538607602&sr=1-1-spons&nodeID=7147440011&psd=1&keywords=over+the+knee+socks+for+women&psc=1) . Eliza then pulled Y/N towards the changing rooms, shoving the hoodie and a few other articles of clothing at her. “You only have to try on the hoodie, but you can put the other stuff on if you want,” she said with a gentle smile. Y/N nodded at her, handing Eliza her camera and closing the door to the changing room. 

 

_ ^-^-^-^ _

 

  Y/N closed the door of the small changing room, placing the clothes on the little bench that sat in the corner. She looked to the mirror, eyes trailing over her body. She hadn’t undressed yet, but she was still hesitant. 

 

_ What if she makes fun of me?  _

 

_ Nonsense. Eliza’s nice. She wouldn’t intentionally try to hurt you. _

 

_ But your adoptive parents– _

 

 She immediately stopped that thought before it could continue. That would’ve been an entire shit show waiting to happen. 

 

_ She’s not like them. None of them are. _

 

Y/N then continued to change into the clothes she picked out with Eliza. She took off her sweater and slid the hoodie onto her body. She took a deep breath to calm her raging emotions and opened the door and stepped out of the changing room. 

 

 She saw Eliza turn at the sound of the door creaking open and she averted her gaze from the older girl. She then heard Eliza gasp, head snapping toward her at the sound. She was met with eyes filled with childlike excitement, Eliza grinning from ear to ear. “You look so good!” Eliza draws out “good” to emphasize her point, practically squealing at Y/N. Y/N dawned a surprised face, eye slightly wide and mouth opened in a small ‘o’. “You think so?” she asked Eliza, turning to model the oversized article of clothing a little more. “I know so,” Eliza giggled, walking over to Y/N and lightly pushing back into the dressing room. “Try on the biker shorts,” she says as she turned to leave, “They’ll look good with a lot of sweatshirts.” 

  
  


 Y/N didn’t know what to say. She’s never been genuinely complimented before, so she was caught off guard.

 

  But the strange thing about it, was that she  _ felt good _ . 

 

  It felt nice to be complimented,  _ genuinely complimented.  _ Her heart felt light and fuzzy, and a ghost of a smile brushed over her face. She didn’t know what that feeling was, but she liked it. 

  
  


 She then sensed Chrysanthemums and Daffodils blooming along the small bench and the lonely vase next to the mirror. Light pinks and vibrant yellows covered the bench and filled the previously empty vase.

 

_ “You’re happy,”  _ the daffodils exclaimed, Y/N practically feeling the smile in their words.

 

_ “And you can always be happy,” _ the chrysanthemums cheered, warm tone ringing in Y/N’s mind.

  
  And for a moment,  _ she loved her flowers. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Petunias- anger
> 
> Orange lilies- hatred 
> 
> Chrysanthemums- joy; happiness
> 
> Daffodils- new beginnings


	4. C.4 Cyclamen are a weird kind of feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N has a dream and someone walks in on her after she wakes up.

  

  Y/N had enjoyed her time with the Schuylers. She had gotten closer to and more comfortable around Peggy, to which they were ecstatic about. When the Schuylers found out that she didn’t really have any other friends, Angelica came up to her and hugged her, practically lifting her off the ground, saying ‘We’re adopting you. You’re ours now,’ which had the younger girl laughing while trying to get out of Angelica’s death grip.

 

 Y/N went home that day with a smile on her face, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in years. When her and Peggy got home, she didn’t isolate herself in her room like she usually did. She tried to talk with Peggy, to which they enjoyed greatly. Both of them had a wonderful conversation full of jokes, silly stories, and some opinions here and there.

 

 Y/N flopped onto her bed with a content feeling for the first time in her entire life. That feeling went on for weeks afterwards and she got closer to the Schuylers with every passing second she spent with them. She felt a bond to all of them, sort of like the one she felt with her flowers. A bond that couldn’t be broken no matter what and she  _ loved it. _

 

_ Everything was different now. _

 

 She felt happy. 

 She  _ never  _ feels happy.

 

 But that shopping trip. That  _ one  _ shopping trip that she was going to turn down,  _ had changed everything. _

 

_ She was happy. _

 

She was happy and she didn’t want it to stop.

 

But then it did. Because nothing ever goes right for her.

 

_ Because when did  _ anything  _ go right for her. _

 

It was three weeks after the shopping trip with the Schuylers when everything went to shit. She hung out with the siblings as much as she could, trying to balance having friends and school work. Y/N out with Eliza, walking to the dark room for the photos she left in there, when  _ he  _ approached. 

 

 Y/N didn’t know who he was but she had managed to grab his– very unwanted– attention. He walked over to them, expensive clothes dawning his body, a sinister smirk on his face as he got closer. He looked older than both her and Eliza, most likely a senior.“Hello miss,” his voice was nasally, a British accent prominent in his speech. “I couldn’t help but notice you from over there and might I say you look very sexy,” he stated, his smirk never faltering. He was putting off bad vibes since Y/N had noticed him. And his intentions were clear when he tried to give her an offhand compliment because what did he find sexy about a girl who looked like she was just in a thunderstorm and was just like “Fuck it,” afterwards. 

 

 Y/N promptly ignored him, continuing to walk with Eliza, who side eyed the man skeptically. He didn’t seem very keen on being ignored though. He stomped up to the two, angry eyes trained on Y/N. He grabbed her arm forcefully, his blue eyes dark as they glared on her own orbs furiously. Y/N yelped at the sudden contact, fear flashing in her face as unpleasant memories danced their way across her mind. The man was speaking but she couldn’t make out anything, his words slurring together into some incoherent language. Her eyes were wide and she froze in his grasp, unable to fight against him as she  _ remembers. _

 

_ She remembers. _

 

_ She  _ hates  _ remembering. _

 

_ She left her hometown just to  _ stop  _ remembering. _

 

_ And here’s this guy, making her  _ remember.

 

  Everything that transpired afterward was a blur. All she knows was Eliza was yelling at the man to let her go and someone else screaming. But that could’ve been her.

 

She remembered. 

 

And that’s what fucked everything up.

  
  


_ ^-^-^-^ _

 

  Herc, John, and Laf, who had came back from France a week ago, were stumped. They were all stumped because of two things.

 

  Alex and Y/N.

 

  Alex had been even more cranky than usual, which wasn’t too much of a change, but he was only upset whenever someone brought up Y/N. It didn’t matter the subject, if someone even mentioned her, Alex would get pissy and borderline lose his shit. 

 

  Y/N was a completely different problem. She seemed more open than she was before, but at some point, that stopped. She was extra jumpy, flinching at even the smallest of movements. She refused to talk to anyone, much more so than usual. And everyday she looked like she was getting less and less sleep.

 

   To put it short, they were worried for the two of them.

 

   That worry only escalated when Y/N practically passed out while helping Laf grade a few projects. 

 

   They were putting the projects away, organizing them by class period, when Y/N started feeling light headed. Laf saw her blink a few times, just staring at nothing in particular.

 

   “Hey,” he called out softly, “Are you okay? You seem a little bit hazy.” Slowly, Y/N nodded, letting out a quiet ‘’m fine’, and started organizing again. 

 

   A few more minutes passed and Y/N could feel the light headedness increase, her brain slurring thoughts together at a vain attempt to remain conscious. She wobbled slightly for bit before she collapsed onto the ground, energy drained.

 

_ She wanted to sleep so badly. But if she did, she would  _ remember.

 

   Lafayette was at her side immediately, helping her sit up straight. “Y/N,” he called out in worry, hoping the smaller girl was alright. Y/N was only coherent enough to reply with a small whimper, her eyes drooping as she struggled to keep them open. “Y/N, hey,” she was suddenly aware of Laf, as his soft accented voice spoke to her gently. She tried her best to string together what he was saying, but she was  _ so tired _ . Slowly, and unwillingly, her eyelids drooped closed, her consciousness finally leaving her fuzzy brain as she entered the realm of sleep.

 

_ ^-^-^-^ _

 

  Y/N woke up in a black room, where she found a little girl, who stood in the middle of it, her back toward her. She had on a white dress, the color contrasting intensely with the surrounding room, making it seem like she was glowing.

 

  ‘Is that me?’ Y/N thought, recognizing the H/C hair as her own.

 

_ “Why did you leave me?”  _ The girl’s soft voice chimed, tone quiet and trembling.

 

  Y/N was taken aback by the question, not really prepared for it.

 

_ “How could you leave me?”  _ She continued.

 

  Y/N tried to answer but her voice only came out as a soft breath.

 

_ “Did you not love me?” _

 

   ‘Stop.’ Y/N tried.

 

_   “Am I so unlovable that I drive people away?” _

 

 ‘No that’s not–’

 

_   “Why did you leave me?” _

 

  ‘I don’t–’

 

_ “Was it because you hated me?” _

 

  ‘No, I don’t–’

 

_    “You hate me, don’t you?” _

 

   ‘I–’

 

   The girl abruptly turned to reveal a horrifying sight. 

 

   Cyclamen and petunias were growing where her eyes should’ve been, the purple and pink flowers shooting out and hanging from her eye sockets. Blood poured out of them, slipping down her face and onto her dress, tainting the once pure white with its red hue. Aconite then started to grow on and around the girl, the purple plants breaking the skin of her arms and legs and flowing onto the ground to continue their invasion.

 

   The aconite started to make its way towards Y/N, growing rapidly and gaining more ground as they go. Y/N tried to move away from the purple monsters, but she found herself stuck in place. She looked down only to see that the cyclamen and petunias had grown on her feet. The aconite reached her and began to ascend up her body. They wrapped themselves around her limbs, squeezing her torso. 

 

_   They were suffocating her. _

 

   She struggled to get them off of her, her arms frantically pulling at the plants, but they had already rooted themselves into her veins. So each pull, each attempt to remove the  _ stupid flowers _ from her skin, sent a shock of pain to her brain. Soon, she was unable to move her arms as the aconite had restrained them. The purple flowers continued to grow up her neck, their soft petals brushing her cheeks as they ascended even further. 

 

  She let out on last breath as the aconite cover her mouth and eyes, until all she saw was darkness.

 

_   “I hate them too.” _

_ ^-^-^-^ _

 Y/N woke up in a cold sweat, a sharp gasp pulling air into her lungs as she sat straight up. Heavy breaths fell from her lips as she willed herself back into consciousness.

 

 Tears started to fill her E/C eyes as she recounted what happened in the dream and what it reminded her of. 

 

_ She wants it to stop.  _

 

_ She wants everything to stop. _

 

_ Why won’t it stop? _

 

  A scream tore through her throat as hot tears pushed passed her eyelids and dripped down her face. She rose her hands to her hair and fisted the H/C tresses. 

 

   Verbena and adonis began to sprout in her hair, the blossoms shooting out from her scalp, green stems gently caressing her hands. Around her grew geraniums and lady’s mantle, the red and green plants moving forward to comfort the weeping girl. The action only caused Y/N to jerk back, falling off of whatever she was sitting on.

 

_ “Let us help you,” _ the flowers called out, following the girl onto the floor.

 

_ ‘  No. Leave me alone,’  _ Y/N mentally sneered back as she crawled even further away from the 

 

_ “You are hurting. Let us take away that pain. We want to help you.” _

 

_    ‘No.’ _

 

_    “Please. We only want to help–” _

 

  “Y/N?” a familiar voice called out, confusion laced in its tone.

  
_ ‘Fuck.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cyclamen- separation
> 
> Petunias- resentment; anger
> 
> Aconite (Monkshood)- hatred; be cautious
> 
> Verbena- tender; emotional; superstition
> 
> Adonis- sad memories; patience; humility
> 
> Geranium- comfort; stupidity
> 
> Lady's Mantle- comfort


End file.
